Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to resolutely prevent anyone from splitting Taiwan from China in any way. His statement comes just two weeks before Taiwans presidential elections.

On 26th December 2023, President Xi Jinping reinforced his longstanding stance in bringing Taiwan under Chinas rule and vowed to resolutely prevent anyone from “splitting Taiwan from China in any way.” (Xinhua News) His statement comes just two weeks before Taiwan elects a new leader in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on 13th January.

Taiwan has operated as a self-governing island since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, with its own government, currency, and military. Despite strong objections by the Taipei government, China has viewed Taiwan as its own territory. Xi stated, “The complete reunification of our motherland is an overall trend, a righteous cause, and the common aspiration of the people. Our motherland must be reunified, and it will surely be reunified.”

Moreover, there has been increased tension with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, who is fostering Taiwan’s informal ties with the United States. Taiwan has emerged as one of the thorniest issues in US-China relations especially since the then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (in 2022) was hosted by Tsai during a visit to the island. This resulted in China strongly reacting and surrounding the island for days with extensive military exercises and cutting off high-level military communication with the US armed forces.
Recently during a meeting in San Francisco last month, Xi also told US President Joe Biden that China’s “reunification” with Taiwan is “unstoppable,” according to China’s Foreign Ministry. China has stated that the Taiwan election is an internal Chinese affair but that the island’s people face a choice between war and peace and any attempt by Taiwan seeking independence means war.
To escalate things further, the frontrunner to be Taiwan’s next president Lai Ching-te from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)has been strongly opposed by China and labelled as a dangerous separatist. (Reuters)
However, the DPP and Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT), which traditionally favours close ties with China, has stated that only the island’s people can decide their future.